Long-term Effects of Exercise (OCR GCSE Physical Education (PE)): Revision Note

Long-term (training) effects of exercise

• Exercise is considered long-term when participants sustain regular exercise for months or even years

• Taking part in regular exercise or training can lead to gradual, but significant adaptations of the body systems that are used or trained

• This has the effect of increasing performance in that type of exercise or sport and can greatly improve the quality of life

• There are many beneficial effects of long-term exercise on the body. These include:

  • Increased bone density

    • this means the bones are stronger which decreases the risk of injury and protection against osteoporosis

  • Hypertrophy of muscle & increased muscular strength

    • anaerobic exercises such as weight lifting can increase fast-twitch fibres resulting in an increase in muscle strength and power

  • Improvement in muscle endurance and resistance to fatigue

    • slow-twitch muscle fibres become more efficient or larger (hypertrophy) leads to increased energy production meaning that the muscles can work at a higher intensity for a longer period of time

    • as the body adapts, it is able to work at higher intensity for longer and improve its ability to withstand lactic acid

  • Increase in heart size

    • the heart is a muscle so when trained regularly it becomes bigger and stronger known as cardiac hypertrophy

    • the ventricle wall gets larger or thickens as a result of exercise

  • Decreased resting heart rate and increased resting stroke volume

    • as the muscle wall of the left ventricle increases in size it can eject more blood during each contraction delivering sufficient oxygen in fewer beats and with greater efficiency

    • bradycardia = resting HR below 60bpm

  • Increased cardiac output

    • During exercise increased stroke volume (SV) leads to an increased cardiac output and blood flow to the working muscles to deliver oxygen and remove carbon dioxide

  • Increased rate of recovery

    • Increased cardiac output (Q) means waste product such as lactic acid are removed more quickly leading to a quicker recovery

    • This means that the performer is ready to train again more quickly

  • Capillarisation

    • this is the process where new capillaries are formed

    • there is an increase in the number of capillaries surrounding the alveoli and muscles which facilitates more efficient gas exchange

  • Aerobic capacity

    • Improvement in cardiovascular endurance - this comes from slower aerobic exercises, such as swimming

    • Better aerobic capacity increases the intensity and duration of performance without fatigue

  • Respiratory muscles

    • increased strength of the respiratory muscles (intercostals and diaphragm)

    • results in stronger force of contraction leading to more efficient mechanics of breathing

  • Increased tidal volume (TV) and minute ventilation (VE) during exercise

    • this increases the volume of oxygen diffusing into the bloodstream and removal of waste products